Human Head's cancelled Prey 2 game had a disturbing plot twist

Bethesda's new FPS Prey is a very good game. But it's not so good that it can entirely make up for the disappointment I've long felt over the cancellation of Prey 2, the direct sequel to Prey that was in development at Human Head until Bethesda pulled the plug. I really did like the original Prey, and the teaser cinematic released in 2011 was great. But as Eurogamer explains in a new video of its own, the studio had some very big story twists planned, including an ending that... well, let's just say that I'm more disappointed now than I was when the game was first canned. 

It turns out that Domasi "Tommy" Tawodi, the reluctant hero of Prey, was intended to play a much larger role in Prey 2 than it appeared when the game was first announced. The two of them would eventually meet up and work together to take down the game's real villains. But it's revealed near the end of the game that every time Samuels dies, he'd reawaken in his apartment on Exodus, apparently none the worse for wear but with no memory of his death and reincarnation. 

This is because each time he died, his consciousness would be transferred into a new clone (source unknown but, from the sounds of it, somehow connected to Tommy), leaving him with no memory of the experience—something that happened literally hundreds of times during his ten years on Exodus. The true extent of this process would be made clear during the final attack on the bad guys, when he'd enter a room filled with dozens of dead clones—evidence of his past efforts, and repeated failures, to bring them down. 

But the real twist is that when all was said and done, Samuels would eventually get back to Earth, where he'd live a long and happy live, raise a family, and eventually die peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones—only to awaken in his apartment on Exodus, in a new clone body. That's pretty incredible, right? 

Eurogamer will have a more in-depth report about the downfall of Prey 2 tomorrow, and it sounds like it will be pretty good. For now, you can watch the "incredible plot twist" video (and it really is incredible) below. 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.